More than half of offenders installed interlocks

By: Associated Press//November 16, 2014//

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin transportation officials say a little more than half of drunken drivers are complying with orders to install ignition interlock devices.

Gannett Wisconsin Media reports state Division of Motor Vehicles data indicates 56 percent of the nearly 14,000 offenders ordered to install an interlock last year did so, up from 43 percent in 2012.

A 2010 state law mandates that all repeat OWI offenders as well as first-timers with blood alcohol contents of 0.15 percent or higher install the devices.

Susan Hackworthy, chief of the Wisconsin State Patrol’s chemical test section, says some offenders simply flaunt the order and use another vehicle. Marathon County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Chad Billeb said some drivers can’t afford the devices, which cost about $1,000 a year.

Information from: Daily Tribune Media, http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com

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